British members of parliament seek family reforms

by Agencies , (Last Updated January 31, 2018)

WESTMINSTER: As Prime Minister, Theresa May’s minority government pushes crucial Brexit legislation through parliament, British MPs cannot afford to miss a vote – even if it means taking their babies with them.

Darren Jones found himself caring for his newborn daughter Ophelia when he was called to vote this month against a law that would repeal Britain’s membership of the European Union.

He took her past the green benches of the House of Commons chamber, and through the so-called division lobbies where MPs cast their votes.

When MPs were called last year to authorise the government to start the Brexit process, Conservative MP Chloe Smith broke her maternity leave to vote with her baby Alastair.

“Whichever way you look at it, this was a bit of history and it’ll be a privilege to be able to tell our son he was there,” she said afterward.

She was hesitant about bringing him into the chamber, but Speaker John Bercow said: “Don’t be sheepish about it the little baby is welcome to come in! There’s no problem.”

However, there are many who believe these MPs should not have to bring their babies in for late-night votes and are pushing for a change in the rules.

Accused of hiding baby

MPs from across the political divide have joined forces to call a Commons debate Thursday on allowing new parents to vote by proxy – asking another MP to vote for them.

“It’s quite a small change but would have a big impact, and bring the House of Commons up to date,” former Labour minister Harriet Harman told AFP.

She had three children in the 1980s while serving as an MP – and the atmosphere was very different.

“I was accused of smuggling my baby through the division lobbies under my coat,” she said, saying she received a “horrible, hostile” reaction.

She was doing no such thing – “I was still fat from just having had my baby. I shouldn’t have been voting at all.”

The announcement earlier this month by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that she was pregnant shows how much times have changed.

But she still promised to be “available” even while taking time off after having the baby.

New Zealand is among a number of countries, including Germany and in Scandinavia, that offers paid parental leave.

This is not yet available in Britain, although Harman is pressing for the change.

There are now more than 200 women in the 650-seat Commons and 17 have had babies since 2010, with at least two others currently pregnant.

Men also want to play a more active role in their children’s lives, and the motion does not discriminate between mothers and fathers. It also includes adoptions.

Accused of laziness

The whips, who enforce party discipline, often allow MPs to miss votes and debates due to ill-health and for family reasons, but the system is informal and in tight votes, can be limited.

It is also private, and some MPs with young children have been criticised for being “lazy” by their political opponents after missing votes or debates.

Proxy voting would allow them to publicly register their position on an issue – particularly important when, with May’s fragile Conservative government, every vote is on a knife-edge.

“When we have such a balanced parliament it means that MPs have to be here to register their views, and indeed want to be here,” Maria Miller, chair of parliament’s women and equalities committee, told AFP.

In Spain, lawmakers can cast votes electronically for reasons of parental absence or serious sickness.

There have long been calls for electronic voting in Britain, where Commons votes are already recorded on iPads, although there is little sign of reform.

This week’s motion on “baby leave” is not binding but if passed, would indicate to the parliamentary authorities an appetite for change.

The speaker has already revised sitting hours to make them a little more family-friendly and opened a late-night crèche nearby on the site of a popular former bar.

“The place needs to work around people having families. You want people who are having families to be part of the debate,” said Jone.